Will_M

Bruce Hoadley is the greatest wood identifier in the world. He wrote my favorite book "Identifying Wood".

I'm going to lean the other way. I've got a gun from Freedom Gunworks that I love and was built exactly how I wanted, but I recognize a bunch of money can be saved by going to a "Floor model" like The Solution from CK Arms as they're built by the same guy. If I was starting over, I'd get The Solution and spend the balance I saved on ammo.

This is a good one that I hadn't ever considered before.

Ok

I can't believe that, on a website where we argue over 0.01 second advantages, you guys are debating whether or not being in better shape is helpful. Matches are won and lost by that much. This isn't even a debate. Being stronger and faster would make everyone score better.

But, all else equal, isn't the stronger/faster guy going to have a better time than the fat guy?

Ok but what if Ben was more athletic? What if he was faster, stronger than he is now? Wouldn't that translate to even better results?

At this point I'm mostly focusing on improving the big 4 lifts I mentioned above, but I've seen accessory lifts increase dramatically in that same time. Deadlifts with a standard grip as well as HEAVY shrugs with dumbbells can make your forearms scream. Based on the food I've seen eaten while we're all away at matches, the biggest improvement 99% of us could make is correcting our diets. Fork put-downs FTW

Doing the basic compound movements: Squats, deadlifts, bench press, and overhead press would help just about everyone. Carbs are not the enemy. They provide quick fuel to the body which is important during a 10 hour day at a major match. Developing overall fitness with weight training creates a huge difference in endurance. Guys and girls who are out of shape will have much worse performance at the last few stages of the day vs someone who has some physical training. Cardio sucks. Just lift weights faster.

I'm happy to say that Venry's last gun ended up with his nephew not long after he made his post.

This is a good post. Thinking of it as a "diet" means you've already programmed an end. Truly changing your body for long term health means it's better to look at it as "nutrition." "Diets" are why people yo-yo in weight. They finish their diet and go back to old habits or, worse, reward themselves with food for completing it. If your current eating habits got you to a place where you're not happy with your body, why would going back to them provide any other result? Don't reward yourself with food. You're not a dog. Your health is your reward. Instead, think about everything you eat as what it is going to do for your body.

I have a SilencerCo Specwar 762 that's rated down to 7.5". Mine is a pig at 24oz, but several manufacturers have no barrel restrictions on some cans now and are significantly lighter than my last gen Specwar. I've used the included Specwar muzzle brake and it's great, but any super short AR unsuppressed is going to be so loud it's disorienting. I won't ever shoot it unsuppressed again. Dead Air Nomad EA Vox SilencerCo Chimera Rugged Razor/Surge

Barrel length and, to a much lesser extent, gas tube length are the only things going to make a real difference. Sound at the muzzle will be about the same for all of the configurations, but different uppers and buffer weights can have more or less pop at the ejection port. It won't be a huge difference in most cases.

Check the Classifieds. SV old style mag with Grams guts is worth about $120-$150.

I wouldn't touch the feed lips on a $100+ no-longer-available, highly desirable mag tube when the solution is readily available for $30.

Snake oil.

Titanium is roughly half the density of steel. So that means at most you'll save less than a 1/10th of an ounce. Most scales at match may not even be precise enough to detect the difference.

There was a steel challenge match in Europe years ago that used circular plates with old car tires around them to catch the splatter. Really neat idea and kept everything contained.

2011's are awesome, but I learned I would have turned into a much better shooter if I had shot a $500 gun and spent that other $3000 on ammo and practice.

None at the moment, but if I remember I'll try to take a quick one when I get home.

Why not?

Some manufacturers will sell a 9mm endcap for the large bore cans if you're chasing a few extra decibels. But even with an overbored can, there's simply less gas to contain from a 9mm charge vs the powder charge in a .45ACP.

Subsonic 9mm is always going to be quieter.

SilencerCo Octane 9HD Hammer fired guns tend to be quieter than the striker fired. The consensus is that the hammer keeps the action closed for a few milliseconds longer, allowing more gas to move through the suppressor instead of out of the ejection port.

I shot a match with my Freedom Gunworks 2011 suppressed. I shot Open minor but it was the most fun I've had shooting a match in a long time. The 1911/2011 is the quietest 9mm suppressor host I've shot.